Lucky Breakdown
by Entwife Incognito
Summary: Just a bit of racy romantic fluff in a one-shot. Some elements by Anonymous request. Dreaming that the day for Jisbon as canon is nigh. Warning! This story has strong sexual content. If you don't like that type of material, do not read this! Disclaimer: I own nothing about The Mentalist.


Patrick Jane maneuvered his eggshell blue 1972 Citroen along the dusty country road as if the controls were extensions of his own fingers and toes, even his butt in the seat seemed a part of the operation. He smiled at his passenger.

To Teresa Lisbon the car was a weird throwback, a cartoon machine that designers in 1950 might have imagined that the car of the future would look like. And obviously missed the mark in their prediction. It fit the eccentric Jane very well and he obviously loved it. Even though she couldn't understand the attachment, it somehow endeared the man to her. One of the million endearing things, actually. She stopped herself from starting the mental catalog of the million infuriating things about Jane.

She loved to needle him about his car. "How do you keep this contraption running, Jane?" She envisioned it shedding noisy cartoon springs, nuts and bolts as they traveled down the road.

"Uh. Gas and oil. What do you think?" He shot a suspicious sideways glance at her. "I know you're preparing to insult my car, Lisbon. Your distrust is unreasonable. Anyway, you know it was the best choice for this stakeout."

"I'm not so sure. It's pretty unique and identifiable."

"Not to Willie James. He's never seen it, or me. Big government vehicles with government license plates? He's probably seen a lot of those."

"How about my Mustang?"

Jane rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay. Old, curious and possibly counterculture beats big and obvious or flashy and unlikely to be on a country road, I guess." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Thanks for not using my presence as a reason to channel your inner race car driver today."

"I didn't want to deal with the screaming."

Jane pulled slowly to the side of the road within binocular range of a large estate house with a lengthy circular driveway. Their task was to observe and record vehicles coming and going from the residence they were watching. Willie James was said to be running a lucrative human smuggling operation with tentacles that spread across the western coast and southern border of the United States. CBI had been asked to survey his residence in order to help identify James's associates in the operation. No transfer of the unfortunate captured was expected today, just a meeting of some sort.

Lisbon rolled down her window and adjusted her binoculars as Jane exited the car. "You take down what I call out to you, okay?"

"Happy to be the faithful scribe, Lisbon. Call away."

Dressed casually, the pair would pose as bird-watchers if pressed for answers, a common enough sight in a country setting. Jane had a camera to complete the ruse, and he was already snapping away at compositions of light and shadow that caught his naturally artistic eye. Occasional shots of Lisbon always appeared in the albums of any camera he used. Those photos were a special passion of his as was their subject, however unknown to her.

Jane boosted himself to sit on the hood, tucking his heels on the bumper, pad and pen to the ready to take down anything Lisbon told him. As the day passed, he thought many times of his comfy couch in the CBI bullpen, but he made do with a few dozes on the warm hood of the car, relying on Lisbon to jolt him awake if he needed to jot anything down. By the time dusk was falling along with visibility, they had about a dozen names and license plate numbers. Lisbon spotted a car driving very slowly coming towards them.

"Jane! Jane, get in the car. I think we've been spotted. Hurry!"

He jumped in the car and followed Lisbon's line of sight. The oncoming car switched on its headlights. "Oh, shit," Lisbon said. She turned around just in time to see Jane lunging towards her. "What are you do-!"

Backing away, she'd wedged herself into the edge of the seat and the door, watching him in shock as he reached his arms to her. Scooping her out of the corner, he planted a lippy kiss on her face, sticking to it as she struggled against his weight and tried to push his shoulders away. Jane mouthed against her, "Play along, Lisbon. We'll look less suspicious."

The oncoming car slowed its speed even more.

Rather than turn her loose, Jane opened his mouth and tongued the crease of her lips to get her to open to him. Lisbon went limp, relaxing into his onslaught and opened her mouth to participate, turning the ploy into real passion. She groaned and wrapped her arms around his chest, pressing him to move even closer.

The car was now level with them and stopped. Whoever was in the passenger seat shone a flashlight on them. Jane didn't stop kissing, but waived his hand in an aggravated signal for them to go away. The occupants of the car started laughing and one of them shouted, "Hey! Get a room, you hippies! You're gonna throw your back out if you fuck her in that seat." Then the car moved on.

Lisbon pulled away from the kiss and pushed Jane back towards his own seat. "They're gone now."

Trying to make light of what he had just done, he joked, "Wow, this has turned out to be a great stakeout! Can I go on the next one?"

"Down, boy." She was too polite and embarrassed to point out that she meant this literally as she tried not to eye the tent that had formed in Jane's jeans.

"Stop looking!" Jane pulled his notebook to shield himself from her view.

"I'm not! Well, okay, I am but I didn't mean to. Okay, well, naturally I'm curious. Hey! Don't put this off on me! It was your bright idea to kiss me until I went limp noodle. You should have known—"

"What? That I'd go _hard _noodle? I saved our butts, Lisbon. Admit it."

"Okay. Okay. It was quick thinking and it did the job. Now, let's get out of here."

Jane adjusted his situation while Lisbon looked out her window, willing the hot blush to drain from her cheeks and commanding herself to look away from what he was doing. Her own reaction was her biggest shock, trying to quell the buzzing demand between her legs. He'd always seemed devoid of sexual feelings for her and here he was, in this, this condition after a little kiss! Well, maybe not so little. But, how quickly and thoroughly he had responded!

In his seat, Jane was having a little trouble controlling himself as he marveled at the memory of Lisbon melting into his kiss and wrapping herself around him to get closer. The firm mounds of her bosom pressed into his chest had almost fired that blue spark in his brain that was like the starter pistol for a horse race! He'd wanted nothing more in that moment but to strip her naked and be able to watch her writhe underneath their joined bodies. "Uh, damn!" He had to think about something else.

"What is it?" Lisbon still didn't dare to look at him.

"Nothing! Don't look! I'm still having a little trouble here . . . "

"Is it something I can help you with?" Lisbon snickered herself into an outright snort. She couldn't help but respond to the humor in their situation.

"It's not funny! Get out of the car for a few minutes."

"Why? What are you going to do?" Lisbon's eyes opened wide and she turned to stare at him now. "You're not going to—"

"No! Geez, Lisbon. What do you take me for? Just get away from me for a few minutes."

She laughed and decided to play it up for all it was worth. He deserved it! "A little too much for you, huh?" She touched her finger to her arm and made a sizzling sound. Then she opened the door to get out of the car. Everything about this situation was like opening a new book. Something wicked in her shouted in triumph at being able to set him on fire and tease him for a change!

Jane turned on the radio and some nice jazz filled the car and floated out the windows.

A tickle of playful spite urged Lisbon to shake her hips at him and dance around the front of the car to the jazz music. She resisted, walking towards some nearby trees instead. Where were these impulses coming from? She couldn't help laughing at herself and the bizarre turn the evening had taken.

"Are you done yet? It's dark out here."

"Yes. All right. Come back in and let's go."

As soon as she sat down, Lisbon looked over at Jane and laughed out loud, leaning her head back and cackling to the roof, bending over in her seat in a rolling release of mirth.

"Ha ha, Lisbon." Jane started the car and pulled onto the road. They were facing the wrong direction, but he figured there would be a county road up ahead to take them to a main thoroughfare.

She couldn't help but break into periodic giggling and snorting. Jane reached over and thumped her roundly on the arm.

"Ow! Hey!"

"How do you like it?"

"What are you, ten years old?"

"Oh, you hypocrite. I think I'm the mature one in this car. In fact, I'm sure of it." Something wicked in him gloried at turning the tables on her to be the grown-up.

"Hmph. Don't fool yourself." The thump hadn't really hurt. But Lisbon stopped laughing, or rather, caught herself in the smirk phase and straightened up.

"Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. I was hoping for a county road to get us to the highway."

"I haven't seen anything for miles. A GPS would be nice."

"Sorry. No can do. I saw a sign ahead for a state park. Maybe there's a restaurant or gas station and we can get tea, coffee and directions. At least we can take a break and see if your smart phone can get us home."

"We're really in the boonies, Jane. Hopefully we can get directions from a real person. I don't trust those electronic maps for everything."

The state park turned out to be nothing more than a few concrete picnic tables and a communal water spigot. It was deserted. A pot-holed asphalt road wound into the woods and a dilapidated sign pointed to a trailhead somewhere nearby. It looked like the state had forgotten about this park.

"It's hot in this car. Let's sit on the picnic table and see what we can figure out from my phone."

"If it's too hot, the obvious thing would be to take off your leather jacket, Lisbon."

Removing her jacket, Lisbon got out of the car anyway. She had sweat through her shirt under the arms and on the back. The night air felt good. Opening his door, she said, "Come on. Let's sit out here and figure out how to get home. Bring the notebook. We'll have to write it down."

"There's no signal!" Lisbon stood on top of the picnic table, waving the phone in her hand. "Here. You're taller. You try." Jane did as she asked, but the height he had on her made no difference.

They sat on the table, feet on the bench and stared into the night for a few minutes in silence. It was pitch black now, no streetlights and no moonrise yet to provide a little light. They were both hungry and thirsty, with only half a bottle of water to share. Neither wanted to drink from the spigot unless they got a lot more desperate.

Finally, Jane got down. "We'll just have to set out and do the best we can. It may be a long night, Lisbon, but at least we've got plenty of gas."

The Citroen wouldn't start. "Give me your keys, Lisbon."

"How's that going to help?"

"The little flashlight on your keychain."

"Oh." She pulled her keys from her pocket and handed them to him. "You don't have a flashlight in that tool kit?"

"Dead batteries, of course. They always are, when you need them."

Jane tinkered and played and fiddled and cajoled and Lisbon thought she even heard him cursing under the hood, but to no avail. The small kit of emergency tools he carried was insufficient to do the job.

"I think we're stranded Lisbon."

She made a rude sound with her lips. "Ya think?" She started a search on her phone before remembering she had no signal to operate a search. "I'll see if I can get a tow. Not sure where they'd have to come from. We're miles away from even a small town, here," she said as she keyed in the search terms. "Damn! I forgot! No bars." Looking at the reception indicator on the phone, then at the car, she muttered, "Damn clunker."

Obviously not hearing the insult to his pride and joy, Jane continued to prattle under the hood. "Not just any mechanic can work on this car, Lisbon. It's not made like other cars and it's vintage. It has to be towed just right and I don't want to take any chances. I think it would be better to spend the night here."

Lisbon forgot about cell phone bars. "What? Here where? There's no here to spend the night!"

"You'd fit in the back seat. I'll just sleep in the passenger seat. Rigsby or Cho can run my other tools out to us tomorrow."

"Are you crazy?" She looked in the back seat. She could probably fit okay. But why? Maybe they could flag someone down at the road. Get them to call a tow and be dropped at a motel, with the car if need be? See about repair arrangements in the morning? "There might be bears or something. And how are we going to reach the boys when there's no cell phone reception here?"

"Bears?" Jane stood slack-jawed a few moments. Surely she wasn't serious. "I don't think so, Lisbon."

"It's their habitat and their woods. I say leave it to 'em!" The conversation was deteriorating.

"I'll build a fire. That'll keep bears away." He really didn't know what else to say. He was not having the car towed. That was final. And Lisbon could just make the best of it. "Your way or my way, the car can't get repaired tonight. We can't even call for help. I'm sure it's not complicated. But I can't do anything in this light. Or dark, as it may be. Or without my other tools."

"Jane. I'm no camper. I don't want a fire to scare off bears. I want to sleep in a bed. Maybe somebody will come by that can get us some help." She looked doubtfully into the pitch black. When was the last time they had seen a house?

"Well, I'm not having the car towed tonight. And sleeping in the car is not camping."

The stubborn jackass! "Damn it, Jane! What are we going to use for blankets?"

"I keep a couple of throws in the boot. Anyway, I thought you were too hot."

Boot. Only a cartoon car would have a boot for a trunk. "It'll get cold before the night is over. I'm hungry. What are we going to eat?"

"I can't help you there, Lisbon. We'll just have to wait. Don't you have something in your purse to eat?"

She just stared at him.

Jane put on the car's headlights long enough to gather some wood for a fire. Lisbon had matches and Jane knew how to build a good fire, so the wood caught easily in the old stone firepit. He endured her bad temper, knowing it would probably not last for very long. "Come out of the car and sit by the fire with me."

She reluctantly got out and plopped herself onto the ground next to him with a grunt and a sigh.

"I know this will be uncomfortable. But the difference between what you want to do and what I want to do is really six of one and half a dozen of the other. And this is how I want to take care of my car. It's important to me." He bumped against her side gently, a plea.

Sighing, she assented. "All right, Jane." She looked into the night sky. "At least the moon is coming up. Just a quarter tonight. The fire is toasty. And it does look pretty. I guess we can handle this little adventure."

"That's the spirit, Lisbon. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lisbon's sweetness was as reliable and satisfying as honey in warm milk. At times like this, and there had been many over the years, Jane felt his love as a blossom unfolding a time-lapse image in his heart. It bloomed so fast that it hurt, stretching him open, breaking the dam of sentiment in his heart like a hundred year flood. It made him feel what he needed to forget in order to keep her safe from Red John.

Maybe it was the fire and the two of them alone, maybe it was the insistent pain of that blossom in his heart, but he snaked an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple, pulling her close just for a moment. "It's going to be all right."

She leaned on him in that brief moment, yielding to him. "I know." God, he felt so good, touching her, kissing her! Her heart took off like wild ponies and she knew Jane would be aware of it in seconds.

Straightening apart, Lisbon brought out her purse and began rummaging through it in the firelight. She pulled out a small pack of tissues ("Bathroom."), a pack of gum, three twisted but still sealed fruit and nut bars, three butterscotches and four peppermints. "Dinner," she said, "and breakfast, most likely."

"Ah! You saved us, Lisbon! I knew you would."

Jane's appreciation and confidence in her charged a sensuous current that flooded her senses. The inviting smile she turned on him made Jane feel a little giddy. Before he could recover, Lisbon had leaned into him once more, saying, "Kiss me again, Jane."

He pressed his lips on the side of her forehead. "I love you, Lisbon." He didn't mean to say it, but his heart was too full and it ran over like clear water into the very thirsty heart of the woman nearly in his arms. Ducking her head against his chest, she stretched her arms around him, clinging and squeezing almost desperately, forcing the breath out of him, breath he needed to combat the giddiness in his head. She circled her body into the crossed legs of his lap and wrapped her legs around him, too.

"Oh god. Lisbon." His entire torso was wrapped with her and he returned the embrace, holding her tight and lowering his head to hear what she was whispering against his heart.

So simple. "I love you," at intervals and followed by her tight squeeze, telling her secret to the blossom there. He tried to pull her away, look at her face as she made this confession, but she fought and would not release him. Reason and words would not reach her. Lisbon was unused to being caught up in such emotional storms of the heart. He ached in the tenderness he felt for her.

Jane began to rock the woman clinging to him, small movements. He held her as he once held his child, soothing her with that gentle motion until the melody of a lullaby came to his lips and he began to sing softly to her. In a very short time, Lisbon started to relax in his arms, shifting her body sideways. She lifted her head to kiss his throat as he leaned over her, resting her lips where the sound of his song vibrated. When he stopped singing, she moved out of his lap and sat apart from him again. Neither one of them knew whether to proceed.

The fire crackled and danced into their silence. Finally, Lisbon spoke. "I'm glad you told me, Jane. Patrick." 'Jane' seemed a little too formal just for the moment.

"Yes." He searched for words but could find none and so, confessed that. "I don't have words to talk about how you loved me back."

"I couldn't help it—"

"It was so beautiful, Lisbon. So powerful. Straight from your heart."

"I really had no words, there. Just three."

"You didn't need them. But you gave the ones I needed, anyway. And we love each other. That's that."

"So, take that, Red John." She made a soft, wry sound meant to imitate laughter.

"He already knows that much, I'm sure."

"Let's not talk about him. I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"We'll have to eventually. You know that."

"But not now."

Jane stood then and gave Lisbon a hand up. "No. Now we sleep. And we figure out the rest in the morning." He felt a sadness wash through him that might never leave. It was the loss of the night, not yet gone, calling him to the reason of his heart.

"But. But, I thought—"

"Here, Teresa?"

"You can't love me here?"

"I have so many ways to love you. But our first time?"

Lisbon's disappointment burned, flaring from her heart to fill her entire torso with a consuming flame. "Yes, Patrick! It may be our only chance. There are too many eyes and ears around us once we get back to Sacramento and our jobs. It's almost a gift to be here with your broken down car. I want to make love with you, Jane. While we have a chance. What if we never do again? Do you really want to miss it?"

She didn't hide the panic or the pain. She knew that once they got back to the city, he would never act on his desire. The torment would be unbearable and would tear them apart. The loss would be too great for her to bear. If they never made love again, at least they would have this night.

The desire that wound with his love rose like perfume from the blossom in his heart and spread to every cell. It led his reason to the reality of Lisbon's words. Denying themselves would break their fragile new union into a pile of bruised petals. Their humble, even rough, surroundings did not matter. "It's always you who has the right answer, Lisbon." He pulled her to his chest, bending his head to meet her uplifted face. They savored a first kiss as sweet as ripe strawberries. It stained their lips red like fire and then consumed them, leaving rouge ash on their swollen lips.

Stripping completely naked was too foreign to either of them in this setting. They managed instead to open each other's clothing, like opening gifts of rare fruit, baring the tender offerings to adoring eyes, hungry lips and tentative fingers. But when Jane lifted Lisbon's loosened bra above her breasts, parting an open blouse to completely expose them to his eyes for the first time, he fell on her nipples already stiffening in the night air, mouthing them mercilessly and kissing the firm mounds they tipped. What he would give for a night in a big bed where he could cherish every inch of her, taking his time to make her writhe against crisp white sheets.

Slowly unbuttoning and opening Jane's vest and dress shirt, a fantasy of years, Lisbon slid her hands over his sleek torso, feeling the satiny skin shimmy over muscle and bone as he sighed and winced in pleasure under her touch. Resting his forehead against hers, he surrendered, inviting her to sweep his back and shoulders with inquiring fingers, then lower to his hips and forward to his belly.

Lisbon found that brushing his sensitive nipples forced his pelvis forward, his pleasure a choppy whine, almost a yip. She grasped his erect length through clothing and nipped lightly at his chest and nipples, squeezing him when he thrust his hips forward. Soon he was breathing like a freight train, running himself against her cupped hand.

Knowing she was waiting for him to fondle her in kind, he chose to tease instead, make her passion raw and see how she would respond. He breathed helplessly in her ear, "Are you going to make me come in my pants, Teresa, or will you at least put a hand on me?"

In answer, she gasped and straddled one of his legs, pressing her clothed sex against him. His crass talk was fuel on her fire.

"Oh, that's what you're waiting for." Smiling, he unzipped her jeans and slipped in a hand, bypassing the panty play and going straight for skin. Lisbon met him lustily as he petted the entire surface with his open hand, lightly frisking her sex in a way that soothed her before his fingers spread her open and stroked her into a senseless stupor.

Working her to a feverish pitch of want, Patrick then withdrew his fingers from inside her and pulled his thumb from her clit, softly holding and lightly squeezing that soft handful of the woman he loved and kissing her breasts again. Loosely supported in his free arm, it was like they had been dancing. "Do you want to come, belladonna?"

A thrill of pleasure ran up her spine and forced her sweet breath to sigh into his ear. "Yes. Not here," she managed. "By the car."

He stood her up and offered his hand. "Lead me."

She lifted his hand to her lips, smelling her musk on his fingers and adoring the memory of what he had been doing to her. Leading him to the front of the car, she braced herself against the bumper and hood. As she looked into his eyes, she opened his jeans, pushed everything down from his hips and claimed his dripping cock, stroking it in her closed hand. The first time she skimmed the head with her fingers, he made a choking sound and jerked her clothing down enough for her to open her thighs and let him in.

As tight and swollen as Teresa was, she was just as slick and Jane slipped in to the hilt. They were aroused nearly beyond bearing. There was something about the angle at the nose of that Citroen that bent Lisbon back just right, her elbows braced on the hood to receive his eager thrusts, something that let him pound all the way into her, rubbing just the right places inside while squishing hard against her swollen clitoris.

Jane arched his back away from her and led entirely with his pelvis, his hands just above her knees, spreading them apart and giving him a point of balance and thrust. He watched her breasts bounce to his rhythm, nipples erect, a lascivious sight jiggling under her pulled-up blouse and bra. Their passion left his jeans and underwear collapsed at his ankles. He reveled in the thought of only their sexual parts being exposed in their eagerness.

"Oh god, Patrick. Just keep doing that. I'm going to come so hard. Please don't change a thing." She gasped, and then began to moan inside their rhythm, rasping his name and then, "I love you so much," before her breathing was all groan. She snapped and the orgasm claimed her, pulsing through her body and clamping Patrick tight inside her, milking him with its tender fist. He was lost in a moment.

His orgasm pushed all thought away and, slamming into her one last time, he squirmed inside her grip, jamming in as each pulse jetted into her contracting nest. He collapsed against her, kissing and biting the tender meat of her shoulder as the last of his release drained away his energy and he exhaled in her ear, "I love you."

Their surroundings had not mattered not at all, only the love for each other sealed by its expression with their bodies.

Patrick reluctantly separated himself from Teresa and she gave him up with a reflexive thrust of her hips as she felt him slide through her grip. "Ohhhhhh. I'm so glad we didn't miss that, Patrick." She still lay languidly on the hood of the Citroen as he pulled his clothes back on.

The sight of her, splayed on top of his car with her hair fanned out, her breasts exposed and pants still down, basking in the pleasure they had taken, nearly brought him to tears. It would be the main feature of his memory palace for the rest of his life. Now he lifted her to the ground and pulled up her clothes, fastening them. He held her bra for her to shake her breasts into it and hooked the back, smoothing her blouse down her torso. "There," he said, "ready for company."

She embraced him with a quiet, "Thank you," then smoothed his shirt and ruffled his hair back into place. Their kiss was an affectionate peck.

Opening the trunk of the Citroen, Jane got the throws and checked the back seat to make sure it was clear for Lisbon to bed down there. He gestured for her to enter while she finished putting her jacket back on. Using her arm for a pillow, she settled in as comfortably as possible. Jane bent and kissed her good night, then got in the passenger seat, intending to pass the night there. He doubted he would sleep much, but he made a pillow of his hands against the window. The scent of Teresa on his fingers only maddened his senses, especially since he did not want it to leave him.

In the back seat, Lisbon was restless, unable to get comfortable and disappointed to give up her closeness to Jane so soon. She finally sat up and Jane turned to look at her. They both felt the unjust awkwardness of their separation.

"I don't want to be apart from you, Jane. Will you come back here with me? It's too lonesome now."

"Sure. We can make it work."

They started by sitting, leaning against one another. Sometime in the night, Lisbon slept with her head on his lap. In the wee hours, Jane leaned against the window with one leg stretched out on the seat as Lisbon sprawled between his legs to lie against his chest. He propped the free leg in a foot well.

He woke at dawn to Teresa's tender kisses and immediately deepened them, wrapping his arms around her. The pleasure of waking together this way after so many years of dreams was profound and irresistible.

Lisbon slid down the seat so that her head was level with his belly. Propping herself on her elbows, she looked into his eyes, rubbing him through his jeans. "You were poking me." The light in his rumpled curls sent shockwaves to her core.

Desire filled his cock with blood, uncoiling it like a snake under the eager hand that opened his jeans, dipped into his shorts and took hold of him. "Uhhnnh! Oh. That feels so good."

Lifting his hips so that she could draw down his clothing, soon a soft warm mouth was kissing and sucking everything sensitive it could reach, pulling on him with a surprisingly strong but easy hand. He fidgeted into a position that would provide even more access and she reached deeper to lightly fondle his balls. His spine was singing with the electricity of her touch as he felt his body calling to let go.

"It's okay. Go ahead, Patrick. Give it to me." Her mouth and tongue cradled the head as her fingers worked below the rigid shaft. Then with a small high cry, he pulsed into her hot mouth as she continued to suck, kissing him softly while he cooled down. He drew her up to lie against the full and happy heart pounding in his chest.

"I wish we could run away, Teresa. Just to be together and love each other."

"Like this?"

"This is only a minute of it. I want every other minute, too."

"We'll have it soon enough. You'll see." She stretched up for a kiss and held him close, rocking her body gently to comfort him.

-o-

Jane came down from the trailhead waving the pack of tissues. "There's a latrine up there! Watch out for spiders."

Lisbon passed him and took the tissues. It had been a long wait! She returned to find him finishing up at the spigot, his hair dripping. As she approached he shook it out like a dog and rained water all over her.

"Stop, Fido!" She laughed as he moved closer and shook more water on her. "Move! Let me in there. I'm ripe!"

Now Jane laughed, but Lisbon could see by the water patterns on his trousers that he'd cleaned up his personal space already. "Do you have a bucket or something?"

"I just used this empty water bottle." He handed it to her and went to sit on the picnic table to watch. It felt so intimate, even though she was just rinsing her face and hair. But she interrupted his reverie before her bath was complete.

"Hey! We may be new best buds, Jane, but I'd like a little privacy here, if you don't mind."

"But I want to watch!" He really did. It would be like National Geographic. _'And here we have the wild Lisbon, taking a moment to cleanse the night's love from her loins." _He giggled to himself, but it really did titillate him.

"Maybe some other time. But not here." Maybe when they showered together. If they ever got the chance.

"Spoilsport!" But he walked down the pot-holed asphalt road instead. When he returned, Lisbon was talking to an older man in overalls, probably a nearby farmer, whose pick up was parked near the Citroen.

"He's not going to want to leave the car unattended. Will you call these numbers for us and explain the situation and our location? They'll bring his tools out so he can fix the car."

"Sure thing, ma'am. Hello." Lisbon turned to see the farmer was nodding at Jane and introduced him. "You two had any breakfast?"

The farmer left, returning about forty-five minutes later with food and assurances that Rigsby and Cho were on their way to pick up Jane's tools. He left on his own business for the day. Judging by the sounds Jane and Lisbon made as they ate what the farmer brought, they were nearly as appreciative of the food as of their lovemaking overnight.

"Let's go for a little walk, Lisbon. It's pretty down this asphalt road."

After the road cleared the woods, it opened to a large meadow in full bloom with multitudes of wildflowers, a constantly waving psychedelic pattern under a sky of eggshell blue. Jane picked an armful of various blooms and foliage to take back to their "campsite." He tried to give her a pretty rock, but she looked at it and tossed it away. 'Just not much of a nature lover, my Lisbon,' he thought at he stared at her gap-mouthed, shaking his head.

Lisbon stretched out on the picnic table and dozed while Jane sat there and sorted flowers. He wove them into a dense colorful wreath, lovely and feminine, choosing only the flowers that seemed to be standing up well without water. He even made a few trailing chains that hung together from one part of the wreath. Periodically he would hold it towards Lisbon's sleeping face as if to judge its worthiness or completion, smiling soft pleasure into his heart.

"Teresa! Wake up. I have something for you!"

Lisbon lifted one eyelid. "Huh?"

"Wake up! Here. Sit by me."

"Jane. You do know I was having a nice little nap." She sat up woozily, looked at his hopeful face, and then scooted to sit beside him on the bench. He was holding out . . . a wreath of flowers? It was so beautiful and cleverly done, with chains of flowers hanging down together at one point, like delicate falls of ribbon.

He stood and hovered it over her head until she looked up at him, then settled it on her as a crown. "Ah. So lovely, Teresa. You look like a queen. My queen." He kissed her lovingly and smiled.

It was such a sweet smile that she could only be flattered as a deep pink blush washed over her face. What a romantic he was!

"Give me your phone. I want to take a picture."

Overwhelmed by his regard, she ducked her head and reached into her pocket for the phone. There were tears on her cheeks as she handed it to him.

"What's this? We can't have a crying queen, Lisbon."

"I. I. I just don't know if anyone has ever loved me like this."

Jane wiped her tears. "Don't be silly. Who wouldn't be head over heels for you, Teresa?" He snapped a few photos.

Teresa reached her arms to him. "Come here to me, Patrick." She drew him down and kissed him tenderly. "I love you. I don't even know how to tell you how much."

"I know. Isn't it wonderful?" He squeezed next to her and held the camera at arm's length to take a picture of them together. Patrick and Teresa in her wildflower crown, their faces pressed cheek to cheek, smiling their rapturous happiness.

Cho and Rigsby arrived near noon with roast chicken, potato salad, fruit and wine. Rigsby returned to the back of the CBI SUV to get a chest of iced down beer. Cho set Jane's tools next to his car. They were ready to feast, and then to work!

The three men worked on the car, Jane doing most of the tinkering while the other two asked a lot of questions about the curious Citroen, drinking ice cold beer and passing the tools he requested. The men laughed together and Lisbon was sure there was plenty of bullshit flying around. She was glad they were having a good time. They all cheered when the car started and Jane revved the engine for good measure.

"Just don't turn it off again until you get home, Jane," Cho said. Rigsby agreed and Jane nodded, shaking their hands for their help. "We'll caravan back."

Jane sat at the table with a beer, watching Lisbon stow things into the cars, directing the boys where she wanted things to go. Cho came to sit next to him.

"You want fries with that?"

"Jesus, Cho!" He knew the man was referring to how closely Jane was watching Lisbon's ass as she moved around the site.

"You look at her ass anymore like that and you're going to have to see if she'll let you have it to go."

Jane's face colored. It was difficult to say if it was anger or embarrassment, maybe both. "What's your point?"

"What happened last night?"

Jane didn't answer.

"I'm just saying, you better not be messing with her. You hurt her, you just think you know what pain is."

Jane still didn't answer. His face had gone white.

"You get me, Jane?"

Facing the agent, Jane's eyes looked distant with cold anger. His relationship with Lisbon was his business! But he knew Cho cared deeply about Lisbon and didn't trust him with her. "Yes. It's not like that, Cho." What could he say without betraying their secret? "I take Agent Lisbon's happiness very seriously."

"Smart answer. I'd better see it." He got up and left to get in the SUV for the drive home. He lowered the window as Lisbon came to check on last-minute details. "What was that about, Cho?" She pointed her chin towards Jane.

"What's that in your hand?"

It was the wreath Jane had made. Lisbon blushed. "Oh. You know. We don't want Mr. Jane to get bored. Pretty, huh?" As she delicately raised it, she couldn't take her eyes away and a soft pleasure shone in their light.

"Pretty. Yeah." He caught her eyes. "You need anything. You just let me know, Teresa."

She cocked her head at his odd statement. "Sure. You know I will, Kimball."

He nodded at her and raised the window.

During the drive back, Lisbon asked Jane what he and Cho had talked about.

"He basically said he'd better see you happy or he was coming for me."

"Nothing gets by that guy."

"That's all you've got to say? He threatened me."

"Best keep on your toes, then. There won't be a second warning." The look on her face was smug, self-satisfied.

Jane's eyes narrowed, his lips set in a stern line. "Hnh!" was all he said.

Once home, Lisbon carefully set her wreath between layers of newspaper, tucked the lot into an oversized atlas and stacked it under her heaviest books. She would treasure it for the rest of her life. Later she had prints made of the pictures Jane took and stored them in envelopes with the pressed wreath. Their first picture as a couple, the deliriously happy self-snap that Jane had taken of them, she in her flowery crown, she had enlarged and framed, tucking it out of sight but close to hand, until such time as she could display it openly.

FINI


End file.
